Circuit-breaker for explosive-engines.



No. 799,393. I PATBNTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

R. M. LOVEJOY. CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. 1905.

ATTORNEYS RALPH M. LOVEJOY, OF MEREDITH, NElV HAMPSHIRE.

CIRCUIT-BREAKER FOR EXPLOSlVE-ENGIN ES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed January 30, 1905- Serial No. 243,268.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH M. LOVEJOY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Meredith, in the county of Belknap and State of NewHampshire, have invented a new and Improved Circuit-Breaker forExplosive-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to circuit-breakers and admits of general use, butis peculiarly applicable upon explosive engines and in analogousrelations where it is desirable to break the circuit quickly andpositively and at a comparatively high frequency as, for instance, insetting up powerful secondary currents used to ignite explosive chargesby its spark.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly diagrammatic, showing my inventionas applied to an explosive-engine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of thecasing containing the contact mechanism, the glass plate of the casingand the ring for holding the plate in position being removed for thesake of clearness. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig.2 looking in the direction of the arrow and showing the contact-lever,the rocking arm below it, and the crank mechanism for actuating therocking arm and the contact-lever; and Fig. 4 is a vertical centralsection through the contact-lever, showing the contact-bosses used inmaking and breaking the circuit and also showing the insulation ofcertain of these bosses.

The body of the engine is shown at 5, and connected with the engine inthe usual man ner are the secondary wires 6 7, in which it is desired todevelop high differences in potential for the purpose of causing thespark to jump within the explosion-chamber in a manner well understoodin this art.

The induction-coil or transformer is shown at 8 and need not be providedwith an interrupter. A battery 9 is connected by a wire 10 with theprimary of the induction-coil or transformer, and from the battery awire 11 I leads to the pivot 21 of a contact-lever hereinafterdescribed. Another wire leads from the primary winding of thetransformer 8 to a contact-arm 12, the latter being provided with acam-surface 12", as will be? understood from Fig. 2. A gear-wheel 13,carried by a shaft of the engine, meshes with another gearwheel 14,whereby the latter is rotated. This wheel 14 is mounted upon a shaft 18,which is provided with a crank 19, having at its outer end a roller 20.When the shaft 18 rotates, the roller 20 is brought successively intoand out of engagement with the can1- surface 12, so as to alternatelyraise and lower the rocking arm 12, which normally rests upon a stop-pin12. A casing 15 is provided internally with an annular member 16, ofinsulating material, and is provided also with a plate 17, oftransparent material, such as glass, this plate being held in positionby an annular cap 17. The pivot-pin 21 passes through the back of thecasing and serves partly as a binding-post for the wire 11 and partly asa pivot for a contact-lever 22. This contact-lever is provided with aneye 24, through which the pivot-pin 21 is threaded, for the purpose ofallowing the movement just mentioned. Contact-posts 25 26 are providedwith conical portions 27 28, projecting downwardly and constitutingcontact-surfaces. Similar contact-posts 29 31 are provided with conicalportions 30 32, serving as contact-surfaces. The posts 29 31 areinsulated by means of washers 33 34, of insulating material, preferablyof hard rubber. A plate 33, of hard rubber, is disposed upon the underside of the contact-lever 22 and is engaged by the conical members 27 283O 32, being thereby held in position.

As will be seen in Figs. 2 and 4, the conical members 28 and 30constitute the contact-surfaces of the posts 26 and 29 and are a littlelarger and longer than the conical members 32 and 37. This discrepancyin the sizes of the conical members is for the purpose of giving theseries of conical members a sort of curvature, so as to readily enablethem, considered as a whole, to rock upon an independent surface.

The rocking arm 12 is flattened upon its upper surface and is adapted tobe engaged by the conical contact members one at a time, as will beunderstood from the full and dotted lines shown in Fig. 2.

Integral with the contact-lever 22 is an arm 35, tensioned by means of aspiral spring 36, the latter being adjustableby means of a screw 37,engaging a bracket 38, the latter being rigidly connected with thecasing and insulated therefrom.

The operation of my device is as follows: The shaft 18 being rotated,the crank 19 IIO causes the roller 20 to alternately raise and lower therocking arm 12, and the upper surface of this arm alternately engagesand disengages the several conical contact members 27 3O 28 32. Themembers 27 28 being in electrical communication with the contact-lever22 are adapted to open and close electrical communication between thecontact-lever and the rocking arm 12, whereas the members 32 30, whilepreferably metallic, as shown, are in reality insulating members andserve merely to prevent the members 27 28 from simultaneously engagingthe rocking arm 12. The result is that the contact-lever 22 being in itsuppermost position, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 2, thebattery-current is free to flow through the following cir cuit: battery9, wire 11, pivot-pin 21, contact-lever 22, post 25, conical contactmember 27, rocking arm 12, wire 12, primary winding of coil 8, wire 10,back to battery 9. The rocking arm 12 being new slightly lowered by apartial rotation of the cam, the circuit above described is brokenbetween the conical member 27 and the rocking arm 12, because theinsulated contact member 30 now supports the tension of the lever 22.The rocking arm 12 being lowered still farther, the conical contactmember 28 is brought into engagement with the rocking arm 12, andanother circuit is completed similar to that above traced, with theexception that the contact member 28 instead of the contact member 27 isaffected. The rocking arm 12 being lowered still farther, the insulatedmember 32 supports the tension of the contact-lever 22. It follows,therefore, that each revolution of thecam 19 makes and breaks the circuit as many times as there are contact members 27 28 in communicationwith the lever 22 and insulated contact members 30 32 for breakingcommunication.

While I show and preferably use two contacts of each kind, I do notlimit myself to this number, as obviously any other number can beemployed, according to the nature of the work; neither do I limit myselfto the particular shape or form of any of the parts nor to the exactarrangement of mechanism shown in the device as a whole.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a device of the character described, thecombination of a contact-lever studded with contact-points, some ofwhich are insulated from said lever and others in electricalcommunication therewith, a part engaging with and disengaging from saidcontact-points, and electrical connections for said lever and said part.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of acontact-lever studded with contact-points spaced apart and in electricalcommunication with a common source of electricity, a plurality ofinsulated members disposed intermediate of said contact-points, a memberof conducting material adapted to engage with and disengage from saidcontactpoints and also adapted to engage with and disengage from saidinsulated members, means for moving said contact-lever relatively tosaid member of conducting material, electrical connections extending tosaid contact-lever and to said member of conducting material, and aspark-coil and source of electricity connected with said electricalconnections.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rockingarm, means for actuating the same, a rocking lever disposed adjacent tosaid arm, and contact members in electrical communication with saidrocking lever, said contact members being adapted to engage anddisengage said rocking arm.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a crank, arocking arm to be actuated by movements thereof, a conducting memberdisposed adjacent to said rocking arm and proy'ided with contact membersto be engaged with and disengaged from said rocking arm, electricalconnections leading from said conducting member and said rocking arm tomechanism to be energized, and means for tensioning said rocking arm.

5. In adevice of the character described, the combination of aconducting member provided with a plurality of contact-points projectingtherefrom, a plurality of projecting insulated members disposedalternately with said contact-points, a rocking arm provided with asurface to be engaged by said contact-points and by said insulatedmembers, said contactpoints and said insulated members projecting todifferent extents for the purpose of preven ting all of saidcontact-points and all of said insulated members from engaging saidsurface of said rocking arm at the same time, means for actuating saidrocking arm, electrical connections for said rocking arm and saidconducting member, and spring mechanism engaging said conducting member.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of aconducting member adapted to rock, a spring for retracting saidconducting member, a plurality of contact members connected with saidconducting member and projecting therefrom, a plurality of insulatedmembers disposed alternately with said contact members, said insulatedmembers and said contact members projecting to different extents fromsaid conducting member, a part to be engaged by said contact members andby said insulated members, means for moving said conducting memberrelatively to said part, and electrical connections for said part andfor said conducting member.

7. In adevice of the character described, the combination of a revolubleshaft, a crank mounted thereupon and provided with a roller, a rockingmember provided with a cam-surface to be engaged by said roller, anelectrical connection for said rocking member, a contact-lever disposedabove said rocking member and also free to rock, means for retractingsaid contact-lever, an electrical connection for said contact-lever, aplurality of contact-points in electrical communication with saidcontact-lever, a part to be engaged by said contact-points, and membersof insulating material disposed intermediate of said 10 contact-pointsfor the purpose of preventing I l l l a plurality thereof fromsimultaneously engaging said rocking arm.

1n testimonywhcrcof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

RALPH M. LOVEJOY.

\Vitnesses:

LIZZIE S. LoVEJoY, BERTRAM BLAISDELL.

